Detroit Music Scene

Detroit in the 1950s was a bustling city to which Southern blacks were drown by the lure of jobs in the auto industry. They congregated on the Eastside, a rough and tumble neighborhood centered around Hastings Street, which pulsed to the beat of blues from such Mississippi Delta immigrants as John Lee Hooker. Out of the grittiness of the urban blues scene evolved the polished pop-soul sound of Motown. Appealing to both black and white listeners, Motown was “the Sound of Young America,” as their motto had it. The key to Motown’s success was the creative team of singers, songwriters, ...